Biljana Kovačević-Vučo, a prominent human rights defender in Serbia, was born in 1952 in Belgrade. She graduated from the Faculty of Law in Belgrade and passed the bar exam 1978. In her career as a lawyer, she worked as a legal advisor at the Commercial Court in Belgrade (1978–1988) and as a senior associate in the criminal and civil departments of the Supreme Court of Serbia (1988–1996). Since 1996, she has practiced law in Belgrade, specializing in criminal law and human rights violations cases.

She founded numerous non-governmental organizations as a peace movement activist and human rights defender in her long career. She founded the Human Rights Council of the Center for Anti-War Action in Belgrade, where she led the SOS legal aid line for victims of political, ethnic, and workplace discrimination (1992-1995). She was one of the founders of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, where she served as general secretary and head of the legal aid office (1994-1997). Biljana Kovačević-Vučo was also one of the founders of the Yugoslav NGO Action and the Independent Trade Union “Independence” (March 1999). She was a member of the Working Group on the Future of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia (established in July 1999 at the Bratislava Conference organized by the EastWest Institute of New York). At the Center for Transition to Democracy, she served as executive board chair (1997).

In 1997, the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights—YUCOM (formerly the Yugoslav Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights)—was established, and she served as president from 1997 onwards.

As a human rights defender and advocate for a broad human rights struggle in Serbia, Biljana Kovačević-Vučo initiated the creation of many coalitions and networks of non-governmental organizations dedicated to human rights protection in Serbia and the region.

She represented victims of human rights violations before national and international bodies (including the UN Human Rights Committee and the European Court of Human Rights). She was the representative of journalist Bodrožić in the only case won against Serbia before the UN Human Rights Committee. She was a member of YUCOM’s team of experts and lawyers that won two cases before the European Court of Human Rights. She has given numerous interviews and statements to the media on human rights issues and authored many publications and articles.

She was awarded the “Icebreaker” prize for “the bravest and most persistent advocacy for democracy, human rights and freedoms, and for preserving and promoting the values of civil society in 2008,” presented by the Liberal Democratic Party.

Often endangered due to her dedicated fight for human rights, she had broad support from the most recognized international non-governmental organizations, such as Amnesty International, Front Line, and the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights.

Biljana Kovačević-Vučo passed away on April 19, 2010, at the age of 58.